Through the first 43 games of the regular season, nothing went right for the Orioles — injury after injury, poor performance after poor performance and zero clutch hitting. Even the weather sucked.
The Orioles’ poor play cost Brandon Hyde his job as manager early in his seventh season. Hyde is a pro’s pro, having stepped in after following the Buck Showalter show. Hyde and GM Mike Elias went to work in late 2018, pouring in their blood, sweat and tears to make the Orioles the envy of the baseball world. It didn’t help that revenues were greatly compromised due to COVID-19 and shrinking crowds and that ownership was in flux.
As much as I was against the move to axe Hyde, I must admit that the Orioles were 15-28 and looked like a group of dead men walking at the time of his firing. The Tony Mansolino-led Orioles have gone 15-8 since an 0-4 start. The O’s have swept three-game series against the White Sox, Mariners and Angels.
Some of the injuries that decimated the lineup on an almost daily basis for several weeks have healed, with Colton Cowser, Gary Sánchez and Jordan Westburg having returned. Injuries to Ryan Mountcastle and Tyler O’Neill have led to serious playing time for Orioles top prospect Coby Mayo and a one-time Cardinals top prospect Dylan Carlson. Both of them have added a spark to the lineup.
For years on the radio, I had all the answers. This is one time I have loads of questions but few real answers because this ownership group runs an incredibly tight ship. I have no idea how David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti feel about Elias.
Without an answer to that question, I am at a loss for how the Orioles will proceed at the trade deadline. Will they choose to try to extend any pending free agents such as Zach Eflin, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn or Tomoyuki Sugano? Or will they all be dealt in an attempt to restock the farm system?
While it seems easiest and best to deal those who could leave at year’s end, it begs the question of how the club would make up for the production from those players. That can be even more expensive and iffy. It sure would help if Mayo joins the ranks of Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutschman, Cowser and Westburg as keys to the future.
One last thing about the club’s chances of getting back into the playoff hunt: I see these 25 games heading into the All-Star break as the key to any comeback. That includes seven games against the Rays, six against the Rangers and three apiece against the Yankees, Braves, Mets and Marlins.
It’s possible for the Orioles to jump back in the race if Henderson and Rutschman perform at an elite level. That’s a huge if.
Photo Credits: Colin Murphy/PressBox